Phase II year
2018
(last award dollars: 2019)
Phase II Amount
$1,420,912
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will enable Unmanned Aerial Systems(UAS or drones) to safely and reliably operate from moving vehicles and moving vessels at sea.There is an immediate need for this capability in many industries. In commercial fishing, droneswill replace manned aircraft for fish-finding operations, radically reducing cost and risk. In maritimesecurity, drones will provide surveillance around ships, including locating a ?man-overboard? intime to save the person?s life. In the oil and gas industry, drones will provide rapid-response to oilspills by mapping the location and extent of the oil slick, limiting the environmental and economicdamage. In hydrographic surveying, drones will identify and geo-locate navigation aids, at afraction of the time and cost of current survey methods. In commercial shipping, drones willinspect and protect shipping vessels while they are underway. In the transport industry, droneswill delivery packages the ?last mile? from a delivery truck to a customer?s door. In law enforcementand border security, drones will operate from moving patrol vehicles while officers remain safeand mobile in the vehicle. These applications are currently difficult or impossible, but will becomeradically safer and easier with the proposed technology.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 project will advance the current stateof the art in UAS/drone autonomy, to enable reliable drone operations from moving vehicles andmoving vessels at sea. Shipboard landing is extremely difficult, due to the heaving and rolling ofthe ship deck, potential high winds, and the high precision control required during landing. Currentdrone technology does not facilitate landing on moving platforms; this prevents their use inmaritime operations, and has become the main barrier to commercialization in this sector. Theproposed research will develop a vision-aided relative navigation system that combines preciseair-to-ship observations with onboard sensor measurements to accurately estimate the relativestate between the drone and the ship. These relative state estimates will be used to dynamicallyroute and control the drone safely on to the ship deck. Technical feasibility of this approach hasbeen demonstrated during the Phase I project, which included demonstration of the technologyin a relevant environment. The primary goals of the Phase 2 project are to improve systemreliability, expand the operational envelope, and productize our system. The plan to achieve thesegoals includes scientific development paired with extensive testing, validation, and demonstration.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.